jmckelve

I teach World and United States History at a high school (Hemet) in Southern California and use this movie in my classroom teaching. It is an excellent resource tool for learning and discussion with my students. They are all aware that the Nazis committed crimes against humanity by perpetrating the Holocaust, but they aren't as aware of the other crimes that they committed such as crimes in the conduct of war and the breaking of treaties and conventions etc. The "eyewitness" testimonies and the segment of actual Holocaust footage makes for a powerful effect on teen learners. Students get a broad picture for the scope of crimes committed by the Nazis and how each person contributed toward the whole. I was disappointed with the "bonus extras" that are included in the DVD version...no significant insightful commentaries with the actors...what they do share is way too brief. Brian Cox totally owns this in terms of his performance. Baldwin does his usual sharp performance. From a personal viewers standpoint it would have been cool to hear from the actors what they did to prepare for their parts. I know Baldwin to be research professional and expect that he invested a good bit into his preparation as did Cox I am sure. J. McKelvey

I found the show lengthy but interesting. The story is told in flashback sequence...a style I find particularly annoying. It also does not contain subtitles which add to viewing. Diane Lane is magnificent and Southerland does well also. One foible is that the boy Marsden shown in many of the Civil War battleground sequences has dark brown eyes while the adult Marsden (Southerland) clearly has light blue eyes. Tyson does a great job in her role as the housekeeper/former slave girl. The character of Marsden shows little or no love or care for his wife and children just doing whatever he pleases whenever he wants to...pretty accurate and indicative of a husband from the South at this time in history....